a holiday greeting - Foss Maritime · 2020. 6. 30. · 2 • Foss Tow Bitts • ALWAYS READY • October, 2013 To submit articles for Tow Bitts, please contact Bruce Sherman, editor,

October 2013 / volume 25 issue 5

a holiday greeting:

december 2006 / volume 19 issue 4

More than any 12 months in the recent history of our com-pany, 2006 was a year in which Foss Maritime moved forward strategically in all areas of our business.

We believe that new courses charted in our harbor services, marine transportation/logistics and shipyard lines of business, while not without risk, will further the growth and success of the company for decades to come. Continued inside

Strategic Moves in 2006 Align Us with This Mission:Provide Customers with Services that are Without Equal

always readyalways ready

(Continued on page 4.)

FOSS-BUILT FERRYIN SERVICE ONCOLUMBIA RIVER

The Foss-built ferry Sanpoil began service on the Columbia River in east-ern Washington in mid-August, the culmination of a unique partnership between Foss, a confederation of Native American tribes and the state government.

Cars were lined up and waiting to

make the 1.25-mile crossing on rural State Route 21 following a christening ceremony attended by officials from Foss, the state Department of Transportation, The Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation and others.

“There was an overriding sense of

The Washington state ferry Sanpoil carried christening guests on an inaugural voyage across Lake Roosevelt.

2 • Foss Tow Bitts • ALWAYS READY • October, 2013

To submit articles for Tow Bitts, please contact Bruce Sherman, editor, [email protected], or Tina Wissmar, coordinator of production, [email protected]. The Tow Bitts graphic designer is Barbara Hoberecht. Tow Bitts is published six times a year by Foss Maritime for employees, customers and friends. Changes to the Tow Bitts mailing list should be referred to Colleen Liman, (206) 281-3988 or [email protected].

Our Faith in Alaska’s Growth Opportunities

Christening on the RiverIn the culmination of what the Foss project manager said was “one of the most challenging projects I’ve ever been part of,” the ferry Sanpoil was christened on the Columbia River in Eastern Washington. Foss built the boat at its Rainier Shipyard. Cover

Open in AnchorageWith space on the 10th floor of an office building on Northern Lights Boulevard in downtown Anchorage, Foss has established a local presence in the heart of Alaska’s business community, putting the company closer to customers and prospective customers alike. Page 3

Rare Trip for the Lindsey FossWhen the Corbin Foss couldn’t make the trip to Alaska to tow a fishing boat off the beach, the company turned to the tanker-escort tug Lindsey Foss, which had the power for the job but rarely gets out of Puget Sound. Page 5

Chopper Drill in Neah BayJeffrey Foss crewmembers learned quickly that they needed chinstraps to keep their hardhats on amid the hurricane-force rotor wash from a Coast Guard helicopter during medevac drills in Neah Bay, Wash. Page 7

Seven-Year-Old Track PhenomMiles Jones hasn’t stopped running since his first practice with Oakland’s 3M Track Club last spring. The 7-year-old son of a Foss deck-hand broke two national records and won the 1500-meter race at the Junior Olympic Nationals in North Carolina in July. Page 10

Solving a Slippery ChallengeHow do you keep stacked, flat concrete panels from slipping around on a barge during an ocean voyage from Tacoma to Valdez, Alaska? Foss’s solution—bracing the stacks with specialized stanchions—worked perfectly. Page 15

By Paul StevensPresident and CEO

Included in this month’s Tow Bitts

is an article regarding the opening

of our new office in Anchorage. (See

page 3.) Although we have served this

area since our first

sailing to Alaska

in 1922, this office

represents our faith

in Alaska’s current

growth opportunities.

Our operations in

Alaska have helped

us to develop an

expertise in working

in the Arctic, which

has created work

for Foss both in

the Russian and

Canadian Arctic, and

we expect demand

for this expertise

will only grow as the

world puts a greater focus on Arctic

minerals.

We’ve come a long way since 1889

when Thea Foss started renting row

boats in Tacoma. But even as we have

expanded geographically we have

stayed true to our northwest roots.

Next year Foss Maritime will observe

its 125th anniversary celebrating a

tradition of innovation and service

to our customers.

We have weathered

many types of

storms but through

the hard work of our

employees we have

persevered and we

look forward to a

bright future.

A committee of

employees led by

Human Resources

Director Lisa Sulock

is developing ideas

on how we can

best celebrate next

year’s milestone.

(See page 18.)

We will keep all of you, our employees,

our customers, our shareholders and

our friends, informed as we finalize

our plans.

October, 2013 • ALWAYS SAFE • Foss Tow Bitts • 3

Our Faith in Alaska’s Growth Opportunities

New Office in Anchorage Positions FossTo Take Advantage of Potential Opportunities

Foss has opened an office in the heart of the Anchorage business district, aiming to pursue future opportunities in Alaska while being closer to customers in the expanding oil and mining businesses.

The space on the 10th floor of an office building at 188 W. Northern Lights Blvd. has an experienced permanent staff of four from Foss, with space to accommodate project teams and others who travel to Alaska to oversee projects as required.

It also will house the offices of Cook Inlet Tug and Barge, now part of Foss, as well as representatives working

under the direction of parent company Saltchuk.

“Foss has not had a local presence in Anchorage for some time,” said Tim Beyer, Foss vice president for Alaska services. “To establish an office here is very important, especially with the new activities going in Cook Inlet, the Artic, North Slope and throughout Alaska in oil and gas and mining.

Joining Beyer in the office are Project Control Manager Tucker Tillman, Director of Alaska Operations Jim Van Wormer and Executive Assistant Kristyn Brown.

Beyer said the many prospects

for business in Alaska for tug and barge support services include several oil development projects getting underway on the Chukchi Sea.

Last summer, Foss conducted a successful sealift from Puget Sound to an oilfield development project near Point Thomson on the North Slope, and another, larger sealift from Korea is planned for 2015.

Oil development activity also has been stepped up in Cook Inlet, with new jack-up rigs placed by four companies that require support. There also will be opportunities in the mining sector requiring commercial marine support in the not-too-distant future. “We will review opportunities that make sense throughout the Alaska region,” Beyer said. “There are many areas with potential for development, and we hope to be there to support them.”

The year-round staff of the Anchorage office includes, from left, Tim Beyer, Kristyn Brown, Jim Van Wormer and Tucker Tillman.Anneliese Roberts

CORRECTION: Corrie Going to UWAn article in the August issue

of Tow Bitts about the winners of college scholarships for children of employees incorrectly stated that

Riley Corrie is entering Western Washington University. Corrie, son of Capt. Dave and Marianne Corrie, is a freshman at the University of Washington.


teamwork from all the players,” Foss Project Manager Rick McKenna told the gathering. “Our goal was to build a quality boat, and I think we delivered that.”

The 20-car, aluminum-hulled vessel was built in pieces at the Foss Rainier Shipyard on the Columbia River west of Portland. It was then shipped over the road for assembly at a provisional shipyard Foss set up above the Grand Coulee Dam.

“It was one of the most challeng-ing projects I’ve ever been part of,” McKenna said.

Washington Secretary of Transportation Lynn Peterson told those gathered for the christening that “a lot of paths had to cross for this vessel to come together.” She added, “Our contractor Foss Maritime has constructed a beautiful vessel.”

Tribal chairman Michael Finley said the ferry route is a crucial link for tribal members and others between Lincoln County on the south and the reservation and Ferry County on the north side of the river. The alternative for travelers, including children who use the ferry to go to school, is a one-hour detour around Lake Roosevelt.

The Foss contingent at the christening included, from left, Machinery Superintendent Hans Kruck, and Superintendent Tony Silva, both from Rainier, Senior Vice

President Gary Faber, his wife, Diane Faber, President and CEO Paul Stevens, Vice President for Technical Services Mike Magill, Director of New Construction Hap

Richards, Project Manager Rick McKenna, and Keith Gorans (quality assurance) and Brian Good (facility maintenance), both from Rainier.

“Completing this project has been a struggle, but it’s been rewarding, and the reward is what you’re standing on today,” Finley said.

The Sanpoil replaces the Martha S. — a six-car vessel that sailed the route for 64 years. The new vessel, which is the largest ever built at the Rainier Yard, is 116 feet long, 45 feet in beam and has a draft of 6.5 feet.

Sanpoil is the Anglicized form of the name for the ancestral and current native residents of the area. The Washington State Department of Transportation assumed operation of the ferry in 1931.

FOSS-BUILT FERRY IN SERVICE ON COLUMBIA RIVER(Continued from the cover)

Project Manager Rick McKenna in the Sanpoil pilothouse with Dave Coffman, captain of the new ferry.


Usually Confined to Puget Sound, Lindsey Heads to Alaska;Tanker-Escort Tug Pulls a Fishing Boat off a Remote Beach

The enhanced tractor tug Lindsey Foss, normally accustomed to performing tanker escorts and assists on northern Puget Sound, got an unusual assignment in early August — pulling a derelict fishing boat off an Alaskan beach.

The ocean-going tug Corbin Foss was originally given the job, but the Lindsey was called to duty at the last minute when the Corbin needed engine work.

“We needed a boat with signifi-cant bollard pull,” Pacific Northwest Regional Operations Manager Mike Stone said. “The Lindsey can pull nearly 175,000 pounds and was chosen for the job.”

Joel Altus, former Foss rigging supervisor, was brought out of retire-ment as a consultant to do the load calculations and make up a towline. It ended up being a series of Plasma lines spliced together, 3,500 feet long, which would enable the Lindsey to work in adequate depth off the beach.

The tug and its crew sailed for six days to reach the beach on Sitkinak Island, 90 miles southwest of Kodiak. Foss customer Global Diving and Salvage was already on-scene preparing the 57-foot fishing vessel Kodiak Isle for the tow.

The fishing boat had been beached for some time and had significant damage, including large gashes in its hull. It also was missing its rudder and a propeller. “Its water-tight integ-rity was a challenge to say the least,” Stone said.

With careful planning to make sure the tide was high enough and the rigging was set up correctly, the Lindsey started pulling on the beached fishing vessel early on August 8. After three hours with the tug at full power, the Kodiak Isle was afloat and began a two-and-a-half day trip behind the Lindsey to Homer, where it was to be dismantled.

“The boat didn’t ride like we thought she would,” Stone said. “She had a big starboard list and then turtled over. All you could see was the port side of the hull.”

He proclaimed the job, “very successful.”

“It was a good experience to use this boat in a different fashion than we

The fishing vessel Kodiak Isle, on its side on a Sitkinak Island beach.

The Lindsey pulled the fishing boat off

the beach with a series of five Plasma lines

spliced together, totaling 3,500 feet.

usually do,” he said. “It also took a lot of thinking out of the box.”

Crewmembers for the trip were Capt. Al McIlhenny, Chief Mate Kris Sek, Second Mate Max Cota, Chief Engineer Larry Hickman and Able-Bodied Seamen Harold “Hap” Peterson, Robert Ramos and Chuck Westvang.


ESCORT IN TECHNICOLORA spectacular sunset provided a backdrop for this photo as the Garth Foss, running stern first, escorted the tanker Polar Endeavour north through Rosario Strait on northern Puget Sound recently. The photo was taken from the navigation bridge of the ship by Polar Capt. Roger Ross.

HEADED FOR NIKISKIThe AMNAV z-drive tug Liberty, right, in early June began a voyage from Vancouver, Wash., to Nikiski, Alaska. Foss provided the barging segment for Carlile in delivering drill modules for two Kenai rigs to Hilcorp of Alaska. Assisting at the beginning of the voyage was the tug P.J. Brix, at left. AMNAV is a Foss division located on San Francisco Bay. The barge was the Columbia Newark, and Mitch Wilson of the Foss Portland team supervised the loading operations. Tim Beyer handled the commercial side for Foss. Carlile Transportation Systems, the newest addition to the Saltchuk family of companies provided all the land transport services for this project.


Bay Area Tank Barge Manager Does Everything He CanTo Minimize Environmental Risk and the Safety of People

Matt Barrett, aboard one of four double-hull tank barges Foss operates in the Bay Area.

Meet Matt Barrett, Foss Tank Barge Manager in San Francisco Bay.

Barrett took over for the retiring Walt Partika in April 2012 and oversees a fleet of four state-of-the art, double-hulled tank barges crewed by 17 tankermen who deliver bunker fuel to cargo ships calling on Bay Area ports.

Not surprisingly, his principal focus is on environmental protection and safety.

“We operate in a very environ-mentally sensitive area, and we do everything we can to ensure that our oil transfers minimize any risk to the environment or the safety of our people,” he said. “The way I look at my job is that I do everything I can to make sure safeguards are in place, and that we not only follow existing policies, but if they need revision or updating, we update them so they are effective.”

Barrett grew up in the Bay Area and was active in Sea Scouts as a teenager, earning the Quartermaster Award, which is the equivalent of Eagle Scout in Boy Scouts. That experience led him to attend California Maritime Academy, where he graduated in 1999 with a major in marine transportation and a minor in marine engineering. Upon graduation, he also received a commission in the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve.

Barrett originally started with Foss in 2000 as a casual tug deckhand and then took a full-time tankerman job with Sause Bros. He came back to Foss as a full-time tankerman in 2002, then moved back onto the tugs as a deckhand and eventually worked his way up to become mate and captain.

He had the misfortune of being among junior captains who were laid off when the economy tanked in 2009 and worked for a few other tug-barge companies before being hired for his current job.

“Foss is a world-class company,” he said, “and I was very happy to be welcomed back.”

Most of his tankermen have 15-20 years of experience, but Barrett said a number of them are not far from retirement and Foss is in the process of training the next generation of workers for the job. Two tankermen have been trained in the last year and a half, and a third employee is just beginning his training.

As for himself, Barrett is a father of two who likes being outdoors and

enjoys watersports. His current job, he said, affords him a steady schedule, allowing him to be active with his children and family while giving him the opportunity “for a new challenge and to make a difference.”

“I feel like I’ve already been able to make a contribution,” he said. “Every day is a new day, and I’m always learning and trying to improve my skill set. I am glad to be part of the great team we have in San Francisco and within the company in general.”


Foss, Coast Guard Team Up for Neah Bay Helo Drill;Practice Helps Everyone ‘Learn the Same Language’

U. S. Coast Guard Boatswains Mate 2nd Class Jerry McCann is leading a safety meeting on the stern of the Jeffrey Foss near Neah Bay, Wash., as a rescue helicopter comes into view, completing its trip from Coast Guard Air Station Port Angeles, about 70 miles to the east.

“Do you have chinstraps?,” he asked the tug crewmembers preparing for the soon-to-begin medevac drill. “The rotor wash will lift the hard hats right off your heads.”

And when handling the tag line that would guide the rescue basket from the chopper to the tug, McCann said, “You want to pull that helo out of the sky. You can’t put too much tension on that line.”

So, working in pairs or three at a time, the tug crewmen worked the deck as the Coast Guard aircraft hovered perhaps 40 to 50 feet over the slow-moving tug. Amid the roar of the chopper and the hurricane generated by its rotor, the crewmen first took the tagline tossed down from above and then hauled in the basket as it was winched from above to the deck.

Abiding by McCann’s advice, the tugboatmen borrowed the lower-profile helmets with straps that he and Chief Warrant Officer 3 Ursula Walther, who heads up the Neah Bay Coast Guard Station, brought aboard.

They repeated the basket maneuver about a dozen times before the chopper started running low on fuel and returned to its home base.

Jeffrey Foss second Capt. Lars Hadland described the helicopter drills as “out of the scope of our general work, and some people have never done this in their entire careers.”

Said Walther, “If there was an incident and Foss had to respond, they need to have the ability to medevac someone. When we’ve done this training in advance, we speak the

Capt. Lars Hadland handles the bow line as the Jeffrey Foss prepares to leave the marina in Neah Bay.

Coast Guard Boatswains Mate 2nd Class Jerry McCann, in the orange helmet gives Jeffrey Foss

crewmembers a safety briefing. They are, from left, Training Deckhand Isan Simpson, Deckhand Tim

Dvorak, Engineer Ted Edwards, and Capt. Lars Hadlund.

Chief Warrant Officer 3d Ursula Walther and Capt. Bill Archer have a pre-drill discussion in the pilothouse

of the Jeffrey Foss.


Foss, Coast Guard Team Up for Neah Bay Helo Drill;Practice Helps Everyone ‘Learn the Same Language’

same language and we have the same goals.”

The Jeffrey is stationed in Neah Bay year-round as the Washington State Emergency Rescue Tug, on duty 24-7 to respond if a tanker or other cargo ship loses power or is otherwise in distress off the coast or in the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

Aboard the tug to observe the drill was Pacific Northwest Regional Operations Manager Mike Stone, himself a retired Coast Guard officer and former commander of search-and-rescue operations based in the San Francisco Bay Area.

“When you’ve done this kind of training, when it’s a real event, it will be just like training,” he said. “The chance for injury or accident is very much lessened.”

McCann, foreground, observes as Dvorak, left, and Simpson prepare to retrieve a rescue basket from the chopper.

The drill concluded, the chopper crosses the bow of the tug before returning to Port Angeles.

“You want to pull that helo out of the sky. You can’t put too much tension on that line.” JERRY McCANN


Miles Jones “just wants to go fast,” says his father Sterling Jones, a deck-hand and tankerman trainee for Foss in the San Francisco Bay Area.

And that’s exactly what the 7-year-old track phenom does. In fact, he broke two national records for his 8-and-under age group and won one event at the Junior Olympic nationals in Greensboro, N.C. in July.

Miles won the 1,500 meters in 5 minutes, 11 seconds. That was five seconds faster than a previous record he set earlier in the summer and beat the meet record by 13 seconds. In the 800-meter event he finished second by six hundredths of a second, in 2:33:79.

He and the winner both broke the national record.

And Miles has only been competing since the beginning of the spring.

His meteoric rise started when a Jones family friend, who is a physical education teacher, saw the first-grader running around the neighborhood and thought he was pretty quick. “She took him down to the 3M Track Club in Oakland after school, and he just kept running, ” Sterling Jones said.

Will Pittman, head coach of the track club, said, “He certainly is a phenom. I’ve been doing this for more than 30 years, and every once in a while you run into an athlete with

special skills. He’s one of the youngest I’ve ever seen.”

He described Miles as open-minded, blessed with natural ability, and a good listener and learner who is hungry to understand and absorb everything.

“He employs that in his sport and he does it very well,” Pittman said.

Interviewed before the Greensboro meet, Pittman said, “It will be his first time on the big stage, and nerves might be a factor . . . After a year or two, athletes become accustomed to that. But if he manages it like he has managed everything else, he’ll do very well.”

FIREBOAT PROGRESS: STERN SECTION INSTALLEDThe 81,000-pound stern section of a new Long Beach fireboat was lifted into place Sept. 20 at Foss Shipyard in Seattle. The 27-foot long module, built upside down, was flipped in a two-crane juggling act and then eased up to the mid-section, at left, making a perfect fit. The fireboat is the first of two being built for the Port of Long Beach at the yard. It is scheduled for delivery next May.

1 2

3

Son of Bay-Area Deckhand is aSeven-Year-Old Track Phenom

Miles Jones, on the way to winning the 1,500-meter race at the Junior Olympics


There’s an old saying that seems to fit Erika Weber to a T: If you want to get something done, give it to a busy person.

If being a single mom weren’t enough, this marine engineer is one of the key people in a major new line of business for Foss Maritime — building new vessels at the Seattle Shipyard.

As project manager for the first new-build effort in Seattle, Weber is overseeing construction of two fire-boats for the Port of Long Beach.

Building the high-tech, Voith-powered 108-foot boats is a compli-cated endeavor in itself, with tons of steel and thousands upon thousands of parts to order and assemble while ensuring that the project is finished on time and under budget.

Add to that the challenge of deal-ing with three naval architecture firms: designer Robert Allan Ltd. of Vancouver, B.C., construction experts Guido Perla and Associates of Seattle (working for Foss), and contract managers Jensen Maritime of Seattle (working for the Port of Long Beach).

On top of that, the paperwork required by the Port of Long Beach to document scheduling, parts orders, changes and other project details requires extra effort.

So Weber, who joined Foss in October of 2012, and Project Coordinator Matt Baker, have been working hard to keep up, all the while answering what seem like constant questions from hard-hatted supervisors who stick their heads in the office door.

“I’m quick on my feet, and I have been working in shipyards since I was 20,” Weber said.

That job was an internship at Cascade General in Portland while she was still a midshipman at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, N.Y., where she earned a degree in engineering and

New Project Manager Steps up to Plate at Shipyard;She’s Up to the Challenges of Fireboat Construction

shipyard management.She then worked as an internal

combustion engineer for General Electric before joining Todd Pacific Shipyards in Seattle, working her way up to becoming the company’s youngest project manager ever, at age 24.

Weber got married and became a stay-at-home mom in 2006 and then worked in engineering and manage-ment jobs for Puget Sound Energy before Foss Director of Engineering Doug Wolff brought her aboard.

“Erika really stepped up to the plate and has taken this significant project to heart,” Wolff said.

Weber relishes starting a new line of business in a yard that has traditionally focused on maintenance and repair.

“New construction as opposed to repair is a different set of skills for our craft labor,” she said. “You’re starting something from scratch. When you’re fixing something that’s already built you rip out the bad part and replace it. When you’re building from a drawing and forming the vessel, it’s a lot more difficult.”

In addition to Baker, Weber gives credit to Superintendent Bill Fiamengo, Director of New Construction Hap Richards and the entire shipyard crew for the success of the program so far.

“We’ve had our growing pains, but I think we’re getting into the groove,” she said. “We are a small yard, but we have a huge amount of potential to do very well in the new construction and major projects role.”

Erika Weber and Matt Baker have been working overtime to keep up with the Long Beach fireboat project.

Behind them is the midsection of the hull.

Erika Weber goes over project drawings with Pipe

Ship Foreman Bobby Flickinger. Matt Baker is in

the background.


CHEVRON ASSIST

An early-morning assist straddled the dawn hour in early September as the Foss tugs Lynn Marie, Keegan Foss and America assisted the Chevron tanker Cygnus Voyager from it’s berth at the Chevron Long Wharf in Richmond, Calif. In the above photo the Lynn Marie works the bow of the ship, while in the photo at left, Deckhand Bernie Taylor, left, and Capt. Paul Ritter are in the pilothouse of the Keegan Foss as it works the center of the ship. Daybreak appears as the America pulls on the tanker’s stern in the top right photo, and it arrives as the America stands by the ship, below right, with the Richmond-San Rafael bridge in the background.

NIGHT TURNS TO DAY ON SAN FRANCISCO BAY

14 • Foss Tow Bitts • ALWAYS READY •October, 2013

FIRST OF THE OCEAN BOATSFoss Rainier Shipyard workers hoisted a steel panel into position in the midsection of the hull of the first of three Arctic Class Foss tugs under construction at the yard. The ocean-going vessels will be 132 feet long and will have ice strengthened hulls. The first is to be delivered in December 2014. Operating the crane in the photo is Eric Bergseng (out of sight), with Larry Gates guiding the plate down, Jeff Barth grabbing the hammer and Kelly Quick assisting.

Foss and other companies that participated in this summer’s sealift to the Point Thomson oil development project in the Alaskan Arctic received praise for their performance from the lead engineering company on the project.

Engineering company and Foss customer WorleyParsons, which specializes in energy development projects, sent out a “news flash” after the sealift saying the offloading of the huge fuel tank modules at Point Thomson had been executed “flawlessly.”

The memo continued:“We would like to thank each of

them (the companies participating) for living the ‘Point Thomson Vision’

and distinguishing the Point Thomson project as a project with superior performance in safety, security, health, environment, quality, cost and schedule.”

The 2013 Sealift Team included personnel from London Offshore Consultants (LOC), which served as the project-appointed marine warranty surveyor (MWS), WorleyParsons-Fluor, Foss Maritime and Fagioli.

Foss was contracted by WorleyParsons-Fluor to supply and operate two barges, two ocean-going tugs and two shallow-draft assist tugs.

The sealift tow left Anacortes, Wash., on June 21 and arrived at Port Clarence on July 12, where it waited for the Arctic ice to clear. On July 28th,

the tows began their final leg of the journey to Point Thomson Central Pad, arriving on August 10.

Fagioli was contracted by WorleyParsons-Fluor to supply and operate the 64 lines of self-propelled modular transport trailers (SPMTs) that were used to load, offload and set the diesel tank skids.

Complimented specifically in the memo for their performance were Michael O’Shea (WPF), Bob Manning (Foss), Andrew Peters (Fagioli), and Capt. Ralph D’Rozario (LOC MWS).

Foss will participate in a second, larger sealift with modular components of the point Thomson plant itself that will set sail from South Korea in the summer of 2015.

Point Thomson Sealift Report Card: Foss and other Contractors Credited with “Superior Performance”The Foss 300 derrick in early September stripped two barges of girders used to support oil tank modules that were transported by Foss to the Point Thomson project.

The 30-inch-high girders were cut to 60-foot lengths for handling and each weighed 6,000 pounds. Guiding a girder to the ground are, from left, Daniel Amundson,

apprentice Jesse Tarabochia and Jim Mosman.

Jereme Ruhl


Welders attach specialized stanchions,

stabilizing the concrete panels, to the

deck of the barge KRS 330-11.

A Stabilizing Solution to a Slippery Challenge:Fifty-Two Stanchions Keep Bridge Panels in Place

Working in a joint venture with sister company Carlile Transportation Systems, Foss in September completed what was described as “an extraordinarily challenging” loadout for ConocoPhillips that included 415 concrete panels and 20 steel girders. Foss spent 22 days preparing and loading the barge, seven days transiting to Valdez and seven days offloading in Valdez.

The concrete roadway panels, girders and other pieces, were components of three vehicle bridges the oil company is assembling on the North Slope. From Valdez Carlile is moving the cargo to the oilfields with heavy-haul trucks, which will take a couple of months.

“It was an extraordinarily complex loading job,” said Capt. Jim Van Wormer, project manager for Foss. “The panels weren’t interlocking, and we had to come up with a way of corralling them so they wouldn’t slide around when they were stacked.”

To accomplish that, Foss built 52 13-foot high stanchions that were welded to the barge deck and braced against the stacks of concrete panels, ranging from 24 to 44 feet long.

Van Wormer and Paul Nave, Carlile marine project manager, led a daily crew of 15 workers on the three-week loading job, plus seven welders who worked at night. Among the key regular crewmembers were Mitch Wilson of the Foss Columbia-Snake River (CSR) maintenance department

and David Chesnut, a CSR deckhand who also works on shoreside projects.

The barge was the 330-foot-long KRS 330-11. The towing tug was the Ocean Pathfinder, a recent addition to the Foss fleet.

The concrete panels were manufactured in Tacoma by Concrete Technology, and most of the girders were built by Jesse Engineering, also in Tacoma.

Van Wormer described the project as a good example of how sister companies like Foss and Carlile can work together.

“Carlile brought this job to the table and we worked on it with them,” Van Wormer said. “It was a very successful partnership.”


SAFETY CORNER

What’s in a Name? Not too Much When it Comes to OSHABy Al RainsbergerDirector of Health and Safety

OSHA is changing the name of material safety data sheets (MSDSs), commonly used by chemical compa-nies to identify their products and outline their hazards, to safety data sheets or SDSs.

Unfortunately, this dropping of the M has caused more consterna-tion than is warranted. The truth is, an SDS is an MSDS. They are really the same thing, especially in terms of the role they play in the Hazard Communication Standard.

One question a number of employees have asked is, “Will we have to have two safety data sheet libraries —one for MSDSs and one for SDSs?” The answer is no. Foss will continue to use our electronic MSDS online system. OSHA is allow-ing chemical manufacturers to make the transition over a 18 month period. I have just recently received the first

SDS in the new “globally harmonized system” (GHS) format for labeling chemicals.

So during the transition we should expect their MSDS online library to

have a mix of non-GHS formatted and GHS formatted safety data sheets until the transition is complete.

However, employers should expect and prepare for all of their MSDSs to be replaced with GHS formatted SDSs in the next couple of years. For employers with hundreds or thou-sands of chemicals, or many facilities with lots of binders, this will likely be a major undertaking.

The three major areas of change are in haz-ard classification, labels, and safety data sheets.

Hazard classification: The defini-tions of hazard have been changed to provide specific criteria for classifica-tion of health and physical hazards, as well as classification of mixtures. These specific criteria will help to ensure that evaluations of hazardous effects are consistent across manufac-turers, and that labels and safety data sheets are more accurate as a result.

Labels: Chemical manufacturers and importers will be required to provide a label that includes a harmonized signal word, pictogram, and hazard statement for each hazard class and category. Precautionary statements must also be provided.

Safety Data Sheets will now have a specified 16-section format.

BAY AREA SAFETY MEETINGMembers of the San Francisco Bay Area Regional Safety Committee held their quarterly meeting on Sept. 11 at the Foss offices in Richmond, Calif. Around the table, clockwise from the bottom of the photo are, Director of Safety and Health Al Rainsberger (back to cam-era), Deckhand Jon Goodwin, Capt. Jess Atkinson, Port Capt. Mike Harbarth, Marine Personnel Manager Laura Rosenberg, Marine Operations Assistant and Committee Chair Greg Poettgen, Deckhand David Green, Engineer Larwence Thomas, Deckhand Maurice “Mo” Lessard, Deckhand Jim Butcher and Tankerman Jim McGwire.


SAFETY ON DISPLAYFoss safety vendors displayed their wares at the Foss Industry Appreciation Barbecues in Seattle and Tacoma in August. At the Seattle event, attended by other vendors, customers and friends of Foss, were, from left, Brandon Byrne of Olympius & Associates, Randy Weller of National Safety, Josh Vankirk of Pelican Products, Doug Benon of Buckeye Fire Equipment, Ron Johnson of National Safety, Bob Wujek of MSA The Safety Company, Rick Maurice of Capital Safety and Bud Kersey of Moldex. More photos from the barbecues appear on page 19.

HAZARDOUS WASTE TRAININGDirector of Safety and Health Al Rainsberger gave training on hazardous waste manage-ment and disposal recently for San Francisco Bay Area Lead Mechanic Tim LaRose at the Foss offices in Richmond, Calif. The training covered such topics as identifying hazardous materials such as paints and chemicals, what quantities of those wastes fall under more rigorous handling requirements, and how to dispose of wastes. Running the slide show is Bay Area Marine Operations Assistant Greg Poettgen.

MAN-OVERBOARD SLINGCapt. Rick Daniels, background, and Capt. Kevin Freese deployed a rescue sling from the tug America during a man-overboard demonstration recently at the Foss home dock in Richmond, Calif. Foss Director of Health and Safety Al Rainsberger said the sling, provided for the demonstration by a safety equipment company, is one of a number Foss is investigating in a continuing effort to improve vessel safety.


PLANNING FOR THE 125TH ANNIVERSARYPlanning is underway for next year’s celebration of the 125th anniversary of the founding of Foss Maritime Company. A variety of events and promotional ideas are under consideration by the planning committee, shown at a meeting in late August in the Thea Foss conference room at company headquarters in Seattle. Around the table, clockwise from left, are Shelly Reiger, Colleen Liman, Colleen Rosas, Lisa Sulock (chair), Scott Merritt, Steve Scalzo and Mike Skalley. Thea and Andrew Foss started the company in 1889, renting rowboats from a boathouse in Tacoma. The company later progressed from rowboats to towboats.

GOLFERS RAISE $306,000Golfers from the region’s maritime companies in late July teed off for the 14th annual Towboat Invitational and raised $306,000 for Seattle’s Virginia Mason Medical Center and the Boys & Girls Club of Southwestern Oregon. The tournament, which has raised more than $3 million since the inaugural event in 2000, was held at the Golf Club at Newcastle in Newcastle, Wash. Sponsors are Foss Maritime and Harley Marine Services, both based in Seattle, and Sause Bros., based in Coos Bay, Ore. In the photo, front row from left, are Kim Cartagena (Harley Marine), Julie Woodman (Sause Bros.), Colleen Liman (Foss), Stephanie Gullickson (Harley Marine) and Denise Gould (The Boys and Girls Club of Southwestern Oregon). Back row, from left, Keith Barnes (Harley Marine), Roger Lindeman, MD, (Virginia Mason), Michael VanDerhoef (Virginal Mason), Jeff Horst (Foss), Dick Foley (master of ceremo-nies) and Dick Lauer (Sause Bros.)

SATISFACTIONGUARANTEED

Never be too busy to follow up on your customers’ requests.

– From Satisfaction Guaranteed, By Byrd Baggett


P E O P L E N E W S PROMOTIONS

NEW EMPLOYEES

Dustin Johnson Captain, CSR, to Regional Ops Manager, CSR

Randy KotkaForeman, CSR, Shop to Port Engineer, CSR

Colette LoweContract Administrator to Engineering Controls Manager

Kristyn BrownExecutive AssistantAlaska Region

PASSINGS George Gravelle Retired Senior Billing Coordinator

RETIREMENTS

Danney Warrick Captain, PNW

Dana BrodieMarine Superintendent

Capt. Robert “Robin” Wiley, who sailed with Foss from the mid-1960s until becoming a Puget Sound Pilot in 1988, died from cancer on August 3 in St. George, Utah, where he was retired. Capt. Wiley was 74.

He was born on July 1, 1939 in Hull,

England, and spent his career at sea, working first as a merchant mariner in England before making his way to the Puget Sound area and joining Foss. He spent many years running the Myrtle Foss, towing logs out of Port Angeles.

Ending his career with the Puget

Sound Pilots in 2007, he and his wife Kathie relocated from Edmonds, Wash., to Utah., where he enjoyed travel and golf. Capt. Wiley is survived by his widow, children and grandchildren.

CAPT. ROBIN WILEY SPENT MANY YEARS ON MYRTLE FOSS

INDUSTRY APPRECIATION BARBECUESFoss customers, vendors and friends flocked to the company’s Industry Appreciation Barbecues during the summer, enjoying hot dogs, hamburgers, salads and camaraderie. In the photo at left in Tacoma, Commercial Director Jeff Horst, left, greets Danny Ellis and Deborah Sage of Horizon Lines. In the photo at right from Portland, Sales Manager Matt Brown, left, is with Ryan Hauk from Bluewater.

1151 Fairview Avenue NorthSeattle, WA 98109

PRESORTEDSTANDARD

U.S. POSTAGE PAIDSEATTLE, WA

PERMIT NO. 15551

THE FOSS GREEN AND WHITE IN HONOLULUThe tug Mamo sports its new colors, Foss green and white, in Honolulu Harbor in early September. The Mamo was the first Honolulu-based tug to be transformed from the old black-blue-yellow color scheme following the assimilation of former sister company Hawaiian Tug & Barge into Foss Maritime Co. in July. Hawaii Director of Operations Michael “Mac” MacDonald said customers universally see the switch to the Foss brand as a positive change. The rest of the Hawaii tugs will be repainted by early December.

Randy Lau

Documents

a holiday greeting - Foss Maritime · 2020. 6. 30. · 2 • Foss Tow Bitts • ALWAYS READY • October, 2013 To submit articles for Tow Bitts, please contact Bruce Sherman, editor,